Council bosses have announced their latest plans to reinforce the ailing Gateshead Flyover
Council bosses have announced their latest plans to reinforce the ailing Gateshead Flyover – but the measures will not allow the road to reopen.
The flyover has been shut since mid-December due to major concerns about one of the concrete pillars which holds it up.
It plunged the wider region into travel chaos when Tyne and Wear Metro services running underneath the 1960s structure had to be suspended for almost two weeks amid fears that it could collapse, before a temporary propping measure was installed just before the new year.
Gateshead Council has now confirmed more work is expected later this month to help fortify the raised highway.
Engineers will use new concrete to encase two of the flyover’s pillars, after which the temporary support structure installed in December will be removed.
However, the local authority said that the latest measure was only “an interim solution to ensure the Metro can keep running in the tunnels beneath the structure” – and that it would not allow road traffic to return to either the flyover itself or the road beneath it.
The previous Metro restrictions severed the rail system in two and cut off a vital link between communities either side of the Tyne over the busy Christmas period.
Council bosses say they want to demolish the flyover and reconfigure the road network around Gateshead town centre.
Plans to remove it and build a tree-lined boulevard in its place have been touted since 2008, but have never come to fruition.
Past estimates have suggested the cost would be anywhere between £13 million and £74 million, depending on the extent of the regeneration works.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness has said she is willing to commit regional funding for the demolition of the flyover, but warned wider redevelopment will require Government cash.
On Tuesday, the council said it was still “considering how and when” it can reopen the Sunderland Road bus lane which is currently fenced off because of the flyover crisis.
It added that “work is progressing to check on the condition of the concrete above the bus lane, and if any concrete side panels need to be removed”, and that the bus lane would not be reopened until the pillar strengthening had taken place.
Council leader Martin Gannon said: “While traffic levels and journey times have not been as difficult as many had feared, we do understand the frustration of people having to change their normal travel plans.
“We know there is still a lot to do, and our teams are pushing on with plans to reinforce the pier which caused the flyover to be closed, and to work on how we can re-open the bus lane.
“Everything we do is based on a safety first approach. So while everyone both inside and outside the council would like to see more routes open, and to move quickly to demolition, we need to ensure we move step by step to do things safely and properly.”